U.S. Declares the Asia-Pacific Seas As a Protectorate of the U.S. Military

September 25, 2015

On August 21, the U.S. Department of Defense issued the U.S. government Asia-Pacific Maritime Strategy. In the document, the U.S. DoD declared that it plans to expand its definition of “freedom of the seas” to include the aim to secure the open waters for U.S. ships, submarines and aircraft to roam freely in the waters of the Asia-Pacific region to help prevent future conflicts.

The strategy document declares, “While not a defined term under international law, the Department uses ‘freedom of the seas’ to mean all of the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea and airspace, including for military ships and aircraft...”

The U.S. government is claiming that no country can make any claims on its coastal waters beyond the 12-nautical-miles along its shores.

In other words, U.S. imperialism aims to redefine international law when it comes to the concept of “freedom of the seas” to mean that they can be occupied by the U.S military in the name of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.

This ever-growing militarization of Asia stems from U.S. imperialism’s strategy of preemptive war and absolute military superiority. This reliance on military force is at the core of U.S. capitalism’s drive to expand its world empire and enforce its domination over the entire world.